Study on the effect of the ballistocardiography-based “Internet + Smart Bed” health management system on the quality of life of elderly users with chronic diseases

BACKGROUND: To study the effect of the “Internet + Smart Bed” health management system (IPBS) established with ballistocardiography (BCG) technology on the quality of life of elderly patients with chronic diseases. METHODS: A total of 150 users with chronic diseases who had been staying in a nursing home during the period from January 2020 to March 2021 were enrolled and divided into 2 groups for experiments. The t-test and Bayesian methods were used to establish a generalized linear regression model to evaluate the effect of the IPBS on the quality of life of the subjects in the experiment. The control group (n=71) received routine examination and daily health risk management in pension facilities. Health service workers provided daily door-to-door care, and the users received regular diet, exercise, and medication supervision and guidance. The intervention group (n=79) was composed of users with chronic diseases, who accepted the IPBS. The health service workers, in addition to implementing routine examination and health risk management, conducted continuous monitoring and intervention management of the users’ vital signs by means of the IPBS. RESULTS: The results obtained with the Bayesian generalized linear regression model tended to agree with those of the t-test analysis. After 15 months of follow-up in the intervention group, the rates of body function, emotion, behavior compliance (BC), and health knowledge (HK) awareness were 1.47 times, 1.75 times, 1.53 times, and 1.69 times higher than those in the control group, respectively. In the intervention group, after using the IPBS, all scores of quality of life were better than those before use, and the differences were statistically significant P=0 or P=0.1 (P<0.05). In the control group, there were no statistically significant differences before and after observation (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Routine management in elderly users with chronic diseases by means of the IPBS, which could change the users’ bad living habits and eating habits, raise the patients’ HK awareness, and comprehensively improve the quality of life of patients with chronic diseases, is a self-health management model worthy of application and promotion.